Riyadh, Aug. 22 (SANA) Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi condemned Saturday the Israeli E1 settlement plan, warning it threatens geographic continuity between the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem.
In a statement published on the GCC website, al-Budaiwi said the plan represents a blatant challenge to international legitimacy and erodes the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
He stressed that Israeli occupation actions undermine prospects for peace and international and regional efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state.
Al-Budaiwi called on the international community to halt settlement policies and oppose measures aimed at altering the geographic and demographic reality of the occupied Palestinian territories.
He reiterated the GCC’s support for an independent Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant international resolutions.
The E1 plan seeks to connect the Ma’ale Adumim settlement with occupied Jerusalem, effectively severing geographic links between the northern and southern West Bank and surrounding East Jerusalem with a settlement belt.
M.Q.R/M.F
